Jump by Efrem Smith

I have enjoyed picking up just about anything that I can get my hands on to read, and at first I wasn't so sure about this book, Jump: Into a Life of Further and Higher by Efrem Smith. However, after reading it, I'm very glad I did. Smith begins by sharing some facts regarding the African Impala. They were created to jump and are able to jump 13 feet up and 30 feet out. However ones that are in captivity can be contained by a three foot wall. How? They won't jump because they can't see where they're landing. It's so true in our lives as well. We have been called to live by faith and not by sight and we too are caught behind walls because we can't see what's on the other side. Smith writes this, "We were born to make faith jumps. To soar into a world of possibility, to advance God's kingdom, to move higher in our relationship with Christ. Yet too often we find ourselves afraid and held captive by small barriers that appear larger than they really are." Now the book and idea isn't about making blind jumps just to jump. It's about making jumps because we have faith in the God who knows our landing. Smith focuses on seven areas where we can make jumps; 1) the connection between us and our heavenly father, 2) that we know that we are beloved, 3) the jump into a community of believers, 4) reconciling our differences and helping build up the body of Christ, 5) engaging the culture, 6) loving and sharing Christ with the people where we live, and 7) our marriage. Ultimately the subject of this book is our relationship with God. That's where it needs to start. "Jumping is the difference between a limited life and a liberated life, between just getting by and going further and higher. What about you, are you ready to jump?"

"In our relationship with God, it's not just about making a jump; it's about trusting the One we're connected to, even though we can't always see the destination. The key is to abide in God through Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit."

Special thanks to amazon.com and the Vine Program for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.